Easy Slow Cooked Chinese Black Chicken Herbal Soup

Chinese black chicken herbal soup falls into the realm of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). While there are literally countless variation of this traditional soup that has been consumed for millenniums, the base ingredients always consist of black chicken meat, ginseng, wolfberry fruit (aka goji berry) and Chinese red dates. Additional Chinese medicinal herbs are added based on desired health effect. In addition to the base ingredients, the version of this soup I’ve grown up eating consists of astragalus roots, pilose asiabell roots and Chinese yams. So what exactly are the health benefits of these roots?

Astragalus root is a staple item in traditional Chinese medicine, found in any Asian supermarket. Its main use is to boost the immune system. Pilose asiabell roots, aka Dangshen, is commonly consumed to combat fatigue and provide a boost of energy. Chinese yams is said to boost the vital functions of the lungs, kidneys and spleen. Goji berries induces a calming effect and increases the quality of sleep and even weight loss. I personally do not subscribe to claims of traditional Chinese medicine. Chinese black chicken herbal soup makes a great winter dish and if there are any truth to the medicinal claims, consider that as an added benefit!

To re-cap, there are countless variation of this soup in terms of the herbal ingredients. For our version, we include the following herbs. They can be found in any Asian supermarket. All you need is a 3 oz. herb mix package for this recipe, or equal parts for each medicinal herb.

Instructions

Black chickens are sold in many Asian super markets across the nation. They are usually sold whole in Styrofoam trays and wrapped in plastic. Because of this, you'll need to prepare the chicken yourself. Wash and clean the chicken with cold water then pat dry with paper towel. Cut off neck and split chicken in half. Remove legs, then separate shank and feet from thighs. Remove wings and separate wing drumette from wing flat and tip. Separate breast meat from bones. Altogether, you should have 10 pieces of meat. You may use the neck and head as part of the stock, or discard it (we choose to use it).

Heat a pot of water with high heat until the water begins to simmer. Toss the prepared chicken pieces into the water and let simmer on low for 3 minutes. This process purifies the meat and removes any residual blood, blood vessels and unwanted gunk from the meat (they'll float to the surface). Drain, rinse and remove outlying feathers remaining on the chicken pieces before placing in slow cooker.

While the chicken pieces are simmering in the pot of hot water, re-hydrate the snow fungus in a container filled with 1-cup of warm water for 10 minutes. Drain and transfer to cutting board. Remove base from white fungus, then coarsely chop each fungus into 1" pieces.

Rinse the goji berries, dates and herb mix in cold running water. Heat water in a sauce pan at high until boiling, then lower heat to simmer. Transfer washed herbs into boiling water for 40 minutes. Drain the liquid, then place the herbs into the slow cooker with the rest of the ingredients. This process washes away any undesirable sediments, also opens up and cook the herbs.

Add 8 cups of water or low sodium chicken stock to the slow cooker, then set it on high for 6 hours. Be sure to agitate the bottom of the slow cooker where all the herbs have settled to mix the steeped herbal tonic with the rest of the soup every hour. For a smooth, crisp tonic, use fresh water. For a savory and flavorful tonic, use chicken stock.

At the 6 hour mark, set the slow cooker to warm setting and add salt, if desired (skip if using low sodium chicken stock), to taste. The soup is ready if you see tiny golden seeds floating on the soup. These are seeds that bursted from the engorged goji berries. The black chicken meat should be fall-off-the-bone tender. Serve in a soup bowl ensuring black chicken meat, goji berries, snow fungus and red dates are present. The spent medicinal herbs may be discarded. Garnish with thinly sliced green onion or raw enoki mushrooms. Soup may be enjoyed warm during any time of the day on its own.

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The Balut Crew is a husband and wife Chinese and Filipino food recipes and cooking blog. We share our passion of cooking with authentic, easy to make Chinese and Filipino recipes passed down by our ancestors and also dabble with delicious contemporary recipes.